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Teaching in the context of NCLB: a qualitative study of the impact on teachers' work, morale, and professional support

TEACHING IN THE CONTEXT OF NCLB:
A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF THE IMPACT ON TEACHERS’ WORK,
MORALE, AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT
by
Mary (Molly) Terese Murphy
___________________________________________________________________
A Research Proposal Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements of the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2008
Copyright 2008 Mary (Molly) Terese Murphy

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 has created accountability systems for schools and because of this, the work lives of teachers have changed. Teaching in today s schools has become more intense during this era of high-stakes accountability. Teachers are experiencing higher levels of stress and feeling more pressure to improve student achievement and raise individual test scores. This study focused on the perceptions and realities of teaching in the age of accountability.; The purpose of this qualitative case study was to answer the over-arching research question, How has teachers work changed in the age of accountability?; I developed three research sub-questions to guide my study: (1) How do teachers' beliefs and experiences about their role as teachers (or the teaching craft) affect their work in the age of accountability? (2) How do factors in the school and community affect teachers' work in the age of accountability? (3) What support mechanisms are in place to help teachers manage teaching in the age of accountability?; I selected two elementary schools in Southern California for my study. Both school sites were selected because they are Title I schools with over 90% English Learner (EL) students and over 90% Hispanic students on the California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS). I interviewed six teachers from each school and found evidence that teachers' work has changed in the age ofaccountability. I discovered that the majority of teachers have experienced accountability changes in their work lives. The teachers cited data, assessments, documentation, and paperwork as major work changes for teachers in the age of accountability. At the same time, the teachers stressed the importance of accountability and its focus on benchmarks, goals, and achievement.; Based on my findings, concepts emerged regarding the importance of support mechanisms for teachers to manage teaching in the age of accountability, along with the importance of parental education to help bridge the socio-cultural gap that separates teachers and parents. My suggestions for future research include a larger-scale study of teachers regarding the perceptions and realities of teaching in the age of accountability including elementary, middle, and high school teachers.

TEACHING IN THE CONTEXT OF NCLB:
A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF THE IMPACT ON TEACHERS’ WORK,
MORALE, AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT
by
Mary (Molly) Terese Murphy
___________________________________________________________________
A Research Proposal Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements of the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2008
Copyright 2008 Mary (Molly) Terese Murphy